The Book Glasses

by Arthur Bozikas

  “Sam, what a beautiful home you have. I’ll have coffee, please. Two sugars and milk, thanks,” Sutton replied as he looked around.

  They all took a seat, then, prompted by Barry, she gave the men a swift rundown on how she had got to be where she was without giving away too much detail. It was enough to make Sutton talk, and, after almost two hours of a comprehensive breakdown of his business, Sam was impressed by the genuine quality of the man. He reminded her of how she’d always imagined her real father.

  “Mr Sutton, I have no experience whatsoever in the mining industry, so I don’t think I would be of any help to you. In fact, given my lack of knowledge of the industry, I could even end up doing you further harm,” she said.

  “Are you familiar with Australian business law?” asked Sutton.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Do you have access to and are you prepared to invest five million dollars for a fifty percent share of Sutton Global?” he asked, his gaze direct.

  “Possibly.”

  “Okay, then ask yourself, would you be able to work with me?”

  She smiled. “I don’t know you.”

  “Well, that makes two of us. Come on board and let’s get to know each other and help me grow the business. Times have changed and I need someone with young, fresh eyes. I believe your business law knowledge will give us an edge that we very much need. I don’t have children and would love to have someone to whom I could pass on all my knowledge and experience. What do you say?”

  Barry may have looked shocked, but Sam controlled her expression. “I’m sorry, Mr Sutton, I can’t give you an answer right now. I’ll need time to think about it.”

  “You know, Sam, for someone so young, you are very wise. It has been a pleasure meeting you. Before you make up your mind, I would like you to come and visit my coal mine in Western Australia. Would you at least do that for me?” Sutton asked.

  “Sure, when?”

  “I’m going back tomorrow morning. Come with me on my private plane and I will fly you straight back to Sydney afterwards and have you home the next day.”

  “Okay, sure.” She shook his hand.

  “Malcolm, what do you think about her age now?” Barry asked.

  “She may look young, Barry, but she is a wise old soul. I like that. I like that very much indeed!” Sutton replied, looking at Sam.

  “I knew you two would get along right from the start,” Barry said with a laugh.

  “Thanks, Barry,” Sam said and shook his hand as well. “This way, gentlemen.” She walked them back to the door.

  “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Sam, and I will see you tomorrow. I’ll have a car pick you up around 8:30 a.m. Our flight is due to leave at 9:30 a.m. with an estimated arrival time in Perth of 12:30 p.m. Don’t worry, I’ll have you back here before the sun goes down the next day, okay? If you change your mind or any unexpected problem arises, please call me. You have my business card.” Sutton’s new-found enthusiasm showed with every word.

  “No problem. Looking forward to it. Thank you, gentlemen,” Sam said as she closed the door.

  She was taken by Sutton’s invitation to go and see his coal mining operation outside Perth. It had provoked her interest, but what impressed her the most was the man himself.

  He was a true gentleman, polite and respectful, and she loved his calmness. His two-piece bespoke black suit and everything about him conveyed wealth without shouting it. He was from old money and had fallen on hard times and his company needed an injection of cash to stay afloat until he could offload his raw material for the best price.

  Sam knew that five million dollars was a steal for fifty percent of his business and if she didn’t take up the offer, someone else would.

  But the meeting, coming so soon after losing Billy, had taken a lot out of her, so she lay down on the couch to rest, hoping to get rid of her headache.

  She was surprised when the doorbell buzzed. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the two people standing in her doorway.

  “Hello ma’am, remember us—Detective Terry Roth and Detective Jason Gower?”

  “Yes, I do. How did you find me?” Sam replied, remembering them from her time at the museum. They had been looking into Mr Harman’s death, the event that had changed the course of her life. She was relieved she had concealed the book glasses.

  “Can we come in?” the detective asked politely.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Wow, look at the view. You certainly have done well for yourself,” Detective Roth said, looking around.

  “This is amazing; a huge difference from where we first met you!” Detective Gower said.

  “Thank you and yes, it is different. I was fortunate to get a position in an investment company soon after I last saw you both and got lucky with the stock market then I took a break from work to do my PhD. Do you like it?” She smiled, hoping to disarm them. If they were here about the glasses… And if they weren’t, why had they come?

  “You’ve done well for yourself, Dr Page,” Detective Roth said.

  “Thank you. Please come and take a seat.” She led them to the kitchen table.

  “You definitely have more than one chair at your kitchen table, compared to when we last met!” Detective Gower said in astonishment.

  “Yes, I do now.” Sam laughed to keep calm.

  It didn’t take long for the detective to get down to business. “Ma’am, we have some developments regarding the Holy Book Glasses, and it was imperative we tell you immediately as we believe your life may be in danger.”

  “What do you mean?” Sam said as she took a seat next to the detectives.

  “Manly Police contacted us after questioning the three men, now on remand, charged with the murder of William ‘Billy’ Ashley,” he continued.

  “Our condolences for your loss, ma’am,” said Detective Roth.

  “Further cross-examinations revealed that Billy wasn’t the target, you were. And we believe you still are.”

  Sam wasn’t surprised but put on a convincing display. “They murdered my Billy because they were after me? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Ma’am, it is clear to us that they believe you have the Holy Book Glasses and were going to use Billy to lure you in. After reviewing the local street shopfront CCTV footage, we confirmed he was struck down after trying to escape. Ma’am, do you have the Holy Book Glasses?” Detective Gower asked bluntly.

  “No, of course not. As I told you before, I don’t know anything about them.” Sam let the tears come. They needed to believe that her thoughts were only with Billy. Shock and dismay, that’s what they had to witness.

  “Sorry, ma’am. I needed to ask you,” Detective Gower said. The sympathy in his eyes was reassuring.

  “I’m sorry, I miss him so much. I don’t know how I’m going to live without him!” Sam may have been lying about the book glasses, but her tears for Billy were genuine and heartfelt, so it wasn’t that hard to stage a convincing display.

  “Ma’am, it is clear from interviews with the men who killed Billy that you have been targeted and whoever hired them is not going to stop pursuing you. We have good reason to believe an organised crime syndicate called Borgata is behind all this. They appear to be heavily invested in retrieving the Holy Book Glasses. The head of the organisation, Antonios Garza, recently arrived in Sydney. I don’t understand why they are targeting you, but they will not stop until they get what they are after.”

  “Why me? I do have reading glass to help with my dyslexia, but why would they think that I have the glasses they’re after?” Sam said.

  “For whatever reason, ma’am, they will stop at nothing,” Detective Roth said. “By the way, can we take a look at your glasses, please, just to rule them out?”

  “What glasses?” Sam asked wiping her tears.

  “You just told us you have reading glasses to help with your dyslexia,” Detective Gower reminded her.

  “Oh, yes. I’ll go get them.” Sam ran to the bedroo
m and retrieved the spare pair of glasses she’d had made in preparation for this. “Here you go.”

  “Wow, they are a unique pair, aren’t they? I’ve never seen a metal silver frame like this before. But no, they are not the Holy Book Glasses.”

  “If the three men are in jail, why do I need to be worried?” Sam asked. She needed as much information as she could get from them.

  “A contract was put out on you with instructions to retrieve the Holy Book Glasses. It is only a matter of time before they catch up to you,” Gower said as he handed back her spare glasses.

  “So, what are the police doing about this?”

  “We have people in place and are tracking their every move, but we need your cooperation.”

  She could see his eyes penetrating her, looking for anything. She tried to appear as pliable as possible. The closer she could get to them, the more she could find out about this syndicate. “Yes, sure. What do you want me to do?”

  “If you are contacted by anyone either by phone or in person, you must contact us immediately. Here are our cards again. It’s also imperative you keep in contact with us daily, okay? We will do the rest,” Gower said.

  “Ma’am, if you help us, we can get them and this will be all over, okay?” Roth said.

  She smiled. “I can do that.”

  “We’ll see ourselves out, ma’am. If we have anything further, we will be in touch. Again, sorry for your loss,” Gower said as they both got up and headed for the door.

  Sam locked the door behind them and sat back down with too many questions racing around in her mind. She was aware that they knew a lot more than they were telling her, but she didn’t dwell on the missed opportunity. Instead, she focused her energy on finding out more about Borgata and Antonios Garza.

  She changed into something more casual and headed to the university library to find out more about the bent and twisted individual who had ordered the retrieval of the glasses and the contract on her that had led to Billy’s death.

  Methodically and calmly, Sam spent hours researching with zero results. Frustrated, she selected the latest military tactics and combat training, martial arts, and tactical espionage training methodology research papers to bring herself up to date with what she would need when this monster finally caught up with her.

  But she was determined to control even the time and location by allowing him to find her when she was ready. Garza and his cronies would be in for a nasty surprise when they tried to come after her.

  As soon as Sam returned to Sydney the next day, she discussed Sutton’s offer with Barry. Having received endorsements regarding her decision, she phoned Sutton late Wednesday afternoon and verbally sealed the deal.

  On her return from Western Australia, she had verified the numbers supplied by Sutton and reviewed his background and business dealings. She was surprised to find no liability or bad credit. He obviously knew how to conduct business. How then, had his company come to such a low?

  She recalled that, a few years before, she had been struggling to survive and unable to prepare for a job interview and now she was living in a luxury penthouse and preparing for a multimillion-dollar business deal. She was in awe of the heights, both metaphorically and physically, to which she had risen in such a short period, but clearly, even the brightest of people could descend in some cases. She would do her best to ensure it didn’t happen to her.

  Joy turned to despair that she couldn’t share this with Billy.

  Not wanting to wallow in the past, she snapped out of her reverie and continued to prepare her business documents. She didn’t need a lawyer; she used to teach this to lawyers, and she prepared a document that was rock solid in every way. Sutton, on the other hand, had a team of lawyers, which mean that it took him a week to sign it.

  Once the contract was signed, Sam wasted no time in transferring the money. With cashflow re-established for the payroll, productivity instantly increased, along with yield of the material. Sutton & Page Global was on its way. She leased the floor below her apartment as office space and began to work on the business in earnest.

  Who’s The Bitch Now?

  Within a few weeks the coal mine had picked up and trade was lucrative. Sam didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the stock market and soon share prices began to soar as investors recognised Sutton & Page Global as a new force in the industry.

  She was now proficient at self-defence and decided to set up a training room next to her office on the floor below so that her instructor could come around more regularly. There was always more to be learned.

  She also joined a gun club and started target practise. Australian firearms laws had made joining the club a necessity as that was a valid reason to own a firearm. Protecting yourself was not, and revenge was way off the cards. So, she had happily accepted her provisional 12-month pistol license citing her new-found enthusiasm for target shooting. She had worried that they might ask too many questions or look into her records and refuse her because of Billy’s death, but that hadn’t happened, fortunately.

  She was determined to set her plans for retribution in motion. While Sutton & Page Global continued to grow, Sam directed the book glasses to focus on the task to identify, locate and destroy not only the lower-level Borgata thugs, but their boss, the man behind Billy’s death, Antonios Garza.

  After a good night’s sleep, she spent the next day reading, ensuring she took regular breaks. The following day, after breakfast and a shower, she dressed in her gym gear that included a waist pack in which she placed the book glasses, the spare glasses, her keys, and a credit card. She strapped her mobile phone to one arm, then attached cordless earphones and put on a running cap and sunglasses before setting off for the crime scene.

  Sam set a quick pace as she ran through the city crowd to the Quay. She’d taken up running even before Billy had died as it helped to manage the side effects from the glasses. She had come to realise that she felt better for it and slept better. Before she’d started running and working out at the gym, lack of sleep had been her biggest downfall and, without sleep, she lacked the concentration to glean the full benefits of the book glasses.

  As she approached the Quay, she slowed her pace and came to a stop at the ticketing booth on the wharf, where she purchased her ticket using her credit card.

  There was no time for sightseeing on the ferry trip over to Manly; her focus was set on the task ahead, going over various attack and exit strategies.

  After disembarking at Manly Wharf, Sam ran directly to Billy’s apartment, hoping to be spotted by replacement Borgata thugs or perhaps even the big boss himself. As she unlocked the door, out of the corner of her eye she saw a man approach her and felt something like a knife being pressed into her back.

  A man in a black ski mask stood there holding a knife with a long blade. “Where are the fucking glasses, bitch?” he asked in a sophisticated English accent.

  She kept her hands up as she turned to face him. As he stepped closer to her, she took the knife out of his hands with a twist, turn and a flick of force he wasn’t expecting. Once he was off-balance, she jumped on his back and smashed his face into the floor, hard.

  While he was dazed, Sam punched holes with the knife into both shoulder blades before stabbing the back of both of his legs. “Who’s the bitch now?” Sam said, with the knife pressed to his neck. “I’m only going to ask you once—tell me about Borgata!”

  “Borgata is a business run by a powerful man,” he said, groaning.

  “This powerful man’s name is Antonios Garza, is that correct?”

  “Yes!”

  “Where can I find him?” She pressed the knife even harder into his neck when the man hesitated.

  “He’s here in Sydney.” The masked man was weakening.

  “Where in Sydney?” Sam knew she was running out of time.

  “The eightieth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel,” he said, breathing heavily.

  Before she had a chance to respond she heard someone appr
oach but didn’t move off the back of the masked man and kept the knife pressed to his neck.

  “Police—drop the knife and put your hands up!”

  She looked up to see the two plainclothes detectives approaching, so she dropped the knife and raised her hands. One of them kicked the knife away and grabbed her while the other surveyed the masked man’s wounds.

  Then they turned their attention to Sam and immediately recognised her.

  “Samantha Page? Did you do this?” Detective Roth yelled. “What the hell?”

  While Detective Gower called it in, Detective Roth took Sam into the kitchen, handcuffed her, and sat her down. It wasn’t until the ambulance had taken the masked man away that the two detectives turned to her.

  “What happened? What are you doing here?” Detective Roth asked.

  Tears were again her friends. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? This is my apartment! I half-owned it with Billy. It’s been hard for me to come back here since his murder and today I finally built up enough courage to come back. Just after I unlocked the door someone held a knife to my back. I turned around and that’s when I saw the masked man. I started to walk backwards, and he came after me, but the idiot tripped and fell flat on his face and dropped the knife. So, I grabbed it and jumped on his back and that’s when you both arrived and found me.”

  “How did he get the knife wounds on both his legs and shoulders?” Detective Roth asked.

  “Well, he’s a big boy, I needed to keep him down. If you don’t believe me, just ask him.”

  “Take the cuffs off,” Gower said, and Roth immediately complied.

  “You were very lucky, Dr Page,” said Gower. “What were you thinking, taking on someone like that?”

  “I was so mad when I saw him. I thought he might have been one of the men who killed Billy, so when he fell, I took my chances. I wasn’t thinking,” Sam said. “I thought he was going to kill me next.”

  “I suggest you don’t react in the same way next time something like this happens. It’s best you run and not confront these sorts of people. Leave it to the police.” Gower looked disturbed. “We’ll need to take a statement, but after that, you’ll be able to go. Are you okay to get home by yourself, ma’am?”